


The Beholder

by NotEvenThat



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: An Undertone of Angst, Canon Compliant, Developing Friendships, Enemies to Friends, Future Fic, Gen, Immortal Warlock Friends, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Lorenzo's POV, Painter Magnus, Post-Canon, Shadowhunters: The Ficlet Instruments, Week Three: Abstract Reverie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-02
Updated: 2019-08-02
Packaged: 2020-07-29 13:34:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20083051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NotEvenThat/pseuds/NotEvenThat
Summary: Magnus gave Lorenzo something he painted, after bragging for hours about how good he was at it. Lorenzo always wondered what that painting meant though. He wondered what Magnus had thought about when he'd painted it.He wondered if Magnus knew that he kept it.





	The Beholder

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by Anonymous in the [sh_ficletinstruments](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/sh_ficletinstruments) collection. 

> **Prompt:**
> 
> Painting: "Abstract Reverie" by Magdalena Morey.

Lorenzo had never excelled at art. Instruments never fit right in his grasp. Art never flowed from his fingertips. The only thing he’d ever been good at was writing and even then, the words fell flat somewhere between his hands and the page. 

Magnus was great at painting, he’d happily told Lorenzo when they’d stopped at an art gallery somewhere between Turkey and Bulgaria. Magnus had gone on about how wonderful he was at it, clearly trying to egg Lorenzo on.

Lorenzo pretended to a little more jealous than he was, just because that’s how they were. It made sense that Magnus was good at painting. There wasn’t much Magnus didn’t seem to be effortlessly good at, except containing himself perhaps and making reasonable decisions.

Magnus had gloated almost the whole trip back, telling Lorenzo all about this piece he’d painted decades ago and how even the more world-renowned painters complimented him on his perfect technique.

Even with all his pointed bragging, Lorenzo hadn’t expected to get home to find the painting Magnus was talking about resting on his porch. Magnus had given it to him to rub it in his face. Even knowing that, it was a nice painting. It was full of deep blues that blended together beautifully but meant nothing, not to Lorenzo at least. He wondered why it meant so little that Magnus would give it away on a whim, as a joke, to Lorenzo nonetheless.

Lorenzo hung it in his gallery, next to the Correggio he’d collected and the Brunelleschi that he’d had since the Renaissance. He didn’t think Magnus expected him to actually keep it and years later, when Magnus saw it hanging for the first time, Lorenzo knew that that was true. What had Magnus expected, that he’d throw it away? 

“You kept it.” He’d said simply. 

“Of course. You gave it to me.” Lorenzo responded. 

He’d always wondered what that painting meant to Magnus. Lorenzo was good at reading art but Magnus was a mystery to him and that painting of his was even more so. Staring now, Lorenzo cursed himself for not seeing it before. He saw for the first time something familiar on that canvas, something that reminded him of a blue-eyed Shadowhunter who was long gone, something mournful.

“We’re going to be late,” Magnus said, his voice unnaturally tight. 

Lorenzo didn’t point out that they were early. He just nodded and followed when Magnus walked out the door without looking back. He didn’t have to wonder why Magnus gave it to him anymore. It wasn’t a lack of caring. Perhaps, he just didn’t want the reminders. 

Lorenzo would keep it until the day came that Magnus wanted it back, if he did. What was the point of a friend if they couldn’t hold onto the things that were too painful to keep yourself? Besides, Magnus’ gloating hadn’t been in vain. It was a beautiful painting.

Lorenzo wondered if he was the first person besides Magnus to ever see it. 

**Author's Note:**

> I had to give Alec blue eyes to make this idea work with the prompt. Don't smite me.


End file.
